The connector industry has been striving to develop data connectors that meet increasingly higher standards for data transfer rates while maintaining or reducing crosstalk between the contacts of the connector. Simultaneously, the industry has sought to allow existing connector plugs, which are already coupled to data components such as computers in the marketplace, to be able to couple to jacks of the improved connectors so that the entire marketplace will not have to upgrade the existing connector plugs if the improved performance is not needed.
In accordance with these demands, the industry has created a new RJ-45 type connector having a jack to which Category 5-7 connector plugs, which meet the ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-A to 768-A specifications, can operationally couple. This new RJ45 type jack has resulted in a complex design including a number of circuit boards and components. Also, the RJ-45 type jack leaves a physical gap between switching contacts such that dust and debris can collect thereon causing decreased electrical connectivity performance. Moreover, contacts that are not being used in the jack are open circuited thus increasing crosstalk. Further lacking is an intermediate stage where all contacts are open circuited when the jack is switched from a Category 6 or less connector to a Category 7 or greater thereby eliminating crosstalk between "live" contacts and open circuited contacts, which could act as an antenna for the RF signals emanating from the live contacts.